Garage Door Painting Instructions

Steel Doors

Most manufactured steel doors are pre-painted with a factory-applied finish that is suitable to be repainted with a wide variety of exterior latex paints. When painting your door, follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions. Painting a pre-painted steel door may void the manufacturer’s paint finish warranty. Check manufacturer’s requirements to ensure validation of your warranty.

Preparation

Visually inspect door for areas of exposed metal. Treat any exposed metal areas with a primer specifically designed to protect galvanized steel from rusting. Allow the primer to dry according to manufacturer’s instructions. Once dry, it is important to give your garage door a good cleaning, but do not wax. Remove surface wax to prevent the paint from peeling or flaking. This can be done using a diluted solution of common bleach OR mild detergent at a concentration of one (1) cup in five (5) gallons of warm water. (Caution: Never Mix Cleansers and Bleach!) Rinse with clear water after washing and allow to dry completely.

Note: If exposed metal areas are not protected, painting with latex paint may cause accelerated rusting of steel.

Painting

Use a high quality exterior grade latex paint. Do not use oil based paint. Paint should be thoroughly mixed before using. If re-painting your door, follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions for applying paint in relation to temperature, sunlight, number of coats, etc. Follow the paint label directions explicitly.

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Wood Doors

Wood doors require special finishing prior to installation. To finish, preserve and protect your new wood door, all six (6) sided of each garage door section must be finished prior to installation. Check with manufacturer to ensure validation of your warranty.

Preparation

Lightly buff or sand any natural surface imperfections. Remove any dust or debris from garage door sections prior to painting.

Painting

Prior to installation, all six (6) sides of each garage door section must be painted (or sealed) with one (1) coat exterior grade primer (or stain) and two (2) coats of a high quality exterior grade paint (or sealer, if stained), in accordance with the finish manufacturer’s instructions. Dark colors are not recommended for wood doors on southern or western exposures. Dark colors may require additional maintenance.